In February of this year, I started getting nightly infusions of saline through a PICC line. As we all know, hydration is a big part of health and nutrition and, due to my limited intake caused by gastroparesis, I wasn't getting nearly the amount of fluids necessary to stay hydrated. Fluid consumption also plays a … Continue reading Finding my Voice
After receiving my first Xolair injection about a month ago, I've been feeling pretty off. Actually, let's be honest here. I've been feeling awful. The day of the injection, I developed a headache, followed shortly by an earache and body pain, then proceeded by a crazy amount of nausea. I'm pretty used to living with … Continue reading Making the Most of Grad Week
Dear new graduate, Only two short years ago, I was in your place. I vividly remember the bittersweet feeling of the occasion; the excitement for things to come, the butterflies in your stomach as you walk across the stage to collect that diploma your worked hard for years to achieve, the pride of being recognized for … Continue reading A Letter to the Grad Class of 2016
They say there are 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Though I'm not terminally ill and grieving the future loss of my life, I definitely have grieved for the loss of my old life. The one where I had boundless energy and a love of food. Where I was physically fit … Continue reading Acceptance
I've talked a lot about feeding tubes but if you're not a member of the tubie community or know someone who is, chances are you're lacking in your Norwegian language skills (if you don't get the reference, read this). So, since today is the start of Feeding Tube Awareness Week, here's a quick lesson on … Continue reading Norwegian 101
With the New Year coming at full speed, a lot of people are making resolutions for the upcoming year. One of the most popular ones every year is to lose weight. If you're doing it for health, cool! But if you're purely doing it because you dislike your body, here's why it's not a good … Continue reading Why weight loss shouldn’t be your New Year’s resolution
Like you, in the past, I probably would have judged someone like myself too. On good days, I look healthy and young. Outwardly, there appears to be no reason why I was walking so slowly and couldn't move out of the way fast enough when I saw you coming. If you could see inside my body, … Continue reading To the person who nearly ran me over in the aisle at Michael’s,
My life got flipped upside down in October 2014. I was loving the university life when I got hit with a nasty chest cold. I didn't think anything of it because I lived in residence and everyone got sick in residence. The res-flu legend was very real and once one person got sick, you were … Continue reading My Story
The Invincible Summer 